The Maple Leafs held an optional skate at Ford Performance Centre on Saturday. The Seattle Kraken held a full skate at Scotiabank Arena.

Veteran winger Calle Jarnkrok, who leads the Leafs with three 5-on-5 goals this season, will be a healthy scratch on Saturday night.

“Just a numbers game,” explained coach Craig Berube. “Nothing more than that.”

Steven Lorentz, who sat out as a healthy scratch for the first time in his Leafs career on Thursday, will draw back into the lineup and take Jarnkrok’s spot on the fourth line beside Nicolas Roy and Dakota Joshua.

“There’s guys that probably don’t deserve to come out at times,” Berube said. “But I think it’s important, we got to use everybody, try to use everybody. It’s a tough schedule this year, like always, and you need 23 men. That’s why they’re here.”

Saturday’s showdown with Seattle will be Toronto’s fourth game of the week.

“I don’t necessarily want just to change the lineup for changing it, but I think it’s important that we try to use everybody as much as we can,” Berube said.

Lorentz initially exited the lineup after sustaining an upper-body injury in Detroit early in last Saturday’s game. He picked up two assists in the season-opening win over Montreal and also performed well in the pre-season.

“He was playing really well,” Berube said. “I thought he had a great camp and start of the season. He was playing well, and then he took that hit, put him out for a couple. But now he’s back in so I think he should [pick up] where he left off, in my opinion.”

Sammy Blais, who was picked up off waivers from the Montreal Canadiens on the eve of the season, will sit out a sixth straight game as he awaits an opportunity to make his Leafs debut.

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Joshua played a team low nine minutes and 15 seconds in Thursday’s 2-1 overtime win against the New York Rangers.

“I wouldn’t say it’s been the best start personally,” the 6-foot-3, 218-pound winger admitted. “Just trying to work and find my fit within the team.”

Joshua is a team-worst minus-five. What’s been the biggest adjustment so far?

“Probably just everybody’s playing with new people,” he said. “So just trying to find that chemistry and gel and being on the same page for a whole 60 minutes. [That] makes a big difference and the faster you can find that the more successful you’ll be.”

Joshua has bounced around Toronto’s bottom-six group since the start of training camp. Since the start of the regular season, he’s played mostly with Roy, who’s also new to the Leafs, and Jarnkrok.

“He is what he is,” said Berube, who also coached Joshua early in his career in St. Louis. “He’s a big guy that’s going to forecheck and be physical … For me, it’s all about the forecheck with Dakota, being physical there, and getting pucks, and hanging on to them down low, and getting to the net. That’s where he’s going to score his goals.”

Joshua is landing 11.17 hits per 60 minutes with the Leafs, which is down from 15.67 per 60 with the Vancouver Canucks last year.

“We’ve had some good performances and some not so good ones,” Joshua said. “So I think just as a whole we’re trying to find the consistency and that also means the same for me. Just trying to find the consistency to make an impact night in and night out.”

Joshua scored a career high 18 goals during the 2023-24 season with the Canucks, which earned him a four-year, $13-million contract extension. The Michigan native missed the start of the season last year after being diagnosed with, and successfully treated for, testicular cancer. He never seemed to get back up to speed, though, after rejoining Vancouver’s lineup in mid-November.

Joshua produced just 14 points in 57 games last season before being traded him to Toronto in the summer in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2028 draft.

Joshua is far from the only Leaf seeking chemistry and consistency early this season. The Leafs are the heaviest team in the NHL by average weight, but they aren’t playing like it so far.

“I don’t think we’re heavy enough right now,” Berube said. “[Not] killing plays down low, allowing people to come out of there with a puck. Our net front can be better, can be harder. We took real pride in that last year, the net front, and we were hard around our net. We got to get harder.”

‘Not the best start’: Joshua struggling to find fit with Leafs  Back in July, Dakota Joshua was traded to the team that originally drafted him in Toronto. So far this season with the Maple Leafs, the big forward has one assist, and sits with a -5 rating over five games. Knowing he can get better, Joshua understands it is a learning process trying to fit in with a new bunch of players.

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Bobby McMann leads the Leafs with 22 hits, which is tied for seventh overall entering Saturday’s slate of games. McMann’s hits per 60 has jumped to 17.49, which is up from 7.6 per last season.

“I recognize the importance of it, especially in playoffs last year, and the effectiveness it has,” McMann said. “It’s just something that I kind of want to focus on and continue to develop that side of my game.”

McMann failed to score in 13 playoff games last spring, but did finish second on the team in hits per 60 (17.95). It was his first taste of the Stanley Cup tournament and it clearly made an impact.

Berube and the coaching staff have been urging the 6-foot-2, 217-pound winger to throw his weight around.

“That’s one of the things we’ve discussed and talked about over time,” Berube said. “He’s doing a good job. He’s been physical and has been a good player for us.”

McMann posted a game-high eight hits on Thursday against the Rangers.

“He’s a big boy, right?” said defenceman Simon Benoit. “So seeing him bringing that aspect to his game, it’s great. We need that. He’s thick. Like in practice and stuff, he’s hard to move, so bringing that little edge to his game, I think it’s just gonna benefit him for sure.”

After starting the season on the second line with John Tavares and William Nylander, McMann finds himself skating on the third unit with Max Domi and Nick Robertson.

“I think that line’s been good for us,” Berube said. “I think they’re going to breakthrough at some point.”

McMann, who potted 20 goals last season before going cold down the stretch, already has two goals this year, including one against the Predators on Tuesday night.

“It definitely helps,” he said of seeing a couple pucks enter the net so soon. “You want to see the work you put in in the summer pay off, especially when you can contribute in winning games, that’s the most fun thing to do.”

The Leafs have won both games that McMann’s scored in.

Leafs hit leader McMann focuses on physicality after playoff heartache  After five games this season, Bobby McMann leads the team with 22 hits. Focused on elevating that side of his game, McMann says he understands how important that style of play is come the post-season.

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The Kraken are off to a 2-0-2 start this season. They are one of four teams left without a regulation loss.

“Playing real good defence,” Berube said. “They’re not giving up much. They take care of the middle of the ice really well, and they got some good young players over there. But, for me, they’re defending really well.”

Seattle is being led by coach Lane Lambert, who was an associate on Berube’s staff last season.

“He’s been a coach for a long time in this league,” Berube said. “Was great for us. I learned a lot from him. A super human and a real good coach. We were very happy that he got another head job in Seattle.”

Lambert oversaw the Leafs penalty kill last season.

“Lane’s awesome,” said defenceman Chris Tanev. “Very detailed, very smart, and easy to communicate with. Yeah, he was a pleasure to work with.”

“The entire city is super excited. It doesn’t matter what sports team it is… Seattle is just a great sports city.”

🗣️ Hear from #SeaKraken head coach Lane Lambert ahead of tonight’s tilt in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/KLp0COgFxw

— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) October 18, 2025

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What is Anthony Stolarz like during games?

“I’m pretty loosey goosey when I get to the bench,” the 31-year-old goalie said. “So, you know, usually talk to Cayden [Primeau] or whatever goalie’s there [backing up]. I try to keep it light, but obviously there’s that intensity in the battle that, you know, sometimes you got to yell at the guys or kind of get them fired up.”

“He’s vocal,” said Tanev. “He’s a leader. He’s very competitive and always plays well in the big moments.”

Stolarz remained calm during Thursday’s game even after being forced to make a mask-less save on a J.T. Miller one-timer from the slot in the third period.

“He’s a gamer,” said Tanev. “Probably didn’t even cross his mind for him to get out of the net.”

Matthew Knies on Anthony Stolarz making mask-less save:

“I was a little scared, to be honest … I thought it was supposed to be blown, but I don’t know. That was a shocker for sure for everyone, I think.”

Unanimous in Leafs room that they believe rule should change https://t.co/4KPfprEk3d

— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 17, 2025

Stolarz doesn’t like the rule that allows referees to allow play to continue after a goalie loses their helmet if there’s an imminent scoring chance. But in the moment, Stolarz didn’t show any frustration.

“The composure to kick a save out like that and just kind of skate to the corner kind of nonchalant … that was pretty cool,” said Lorentz.

“That was crazy,” said McMann. “That guy’s an absolute gamer. At first we were rattled and then once he was okay, we were pretty pumped that he was making that save. He was flying all the way through there and I don’t think he was even shaken up by it at all.”

‘Absolute gamer’ Stolarz keeps Leafs calm with ‘loosey goosey’ approach  In Toronto’s last game, goaltender Anthony Stolarz made 28 saves against the Rangers, including one without a helmet on. After the dust settled, Stolarz remained his calm self, making jokes with his teammates. To a man, the Leafs say that they are confident in Stolarz’s no give-up attitude on the ice, and love his demeanor off of it.

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Saturday will be Toronto’s fifth game in eight days. Only five players who will be in the lineup (Easton Cowan, Lorentz, Benoit, Joshua and Stolarz) decided to take the ice at the optional skate.

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Projected Leafs lineup for Saturday’s game:

F

Knies – Matthews – Cowan

Maccelli – Tavares – Nylander

Robertson – Domi – McMann

Lorentz – Roy – Joshua

D

Rielly – Carlo

McCabe – Tanev

Benoit – Ekman-Larsson

G

Stolarz starts

Primeau